ECE Connection

Inside this edition you will find:

• Director's Message
• MSELC and HOPES Directories
• Attendance and Preschool
• Pre-K4 Math Night- 10/19
• Virtual Meet & Greet with Dr. Webb- 10/22
• What's Happening In Early Childhood?
• Communication Flow Chart
• PIRS Social Emotional Learning Corner
• Important Health Reminders
• Nurses Nook
• Change is Hard
• Director Mara's Book of the Week
• Disney and Donuts: Tomorrow! 10/17
• Halloween Movie Night: 10/24

Dear Early Childhood Families,

As we wrap up this short week, I wanted to take a moment to share a few exciting events coming up that I hope many of you will be able to join!

Tomorrow, our Hoboken High School Theatre Department is hosting Disney and Donuts! This is always such a fun event filled with activities, Disney magic, and, of course, donuts! I will be helping out at the donut table, so please make sure to stop by and say hello if you are there. You can find the event flyer at the bottom of this S'more.

On Monday, October 19th, we will be hosting our fantastic Pre-K 4 Math Night at Hoboken High School! There is still time to sign up, and you can find the flyer and registration link below. We have already had so many Pre-K 4 families register for this free event, and I cannot wait to see everyone on Monday night!

In our classrooms, students have been busy building their skills through the Tools of the Mind curriculum. One of the activities they participate in throughout the week is called Remember and Replicate. During this activity, children are asked to remember a shape or design and then recreate it using play-dough. While this may look like a simple, fun activity, it is actually helping our little learners strengthen their fine motor skills, memory, attention, and ability to follow through on a task. You can even try this at home! Make a simple shape using play-dough and ask your child to look carefully before recreating it. As they become more comfortable, you can add more shapes or make the designs a little more challenging. It is a great way to bring some of the learning happening in our classrooms into your everyday routines!

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events! Just a reminder that Wednesday, October 21st, 2026 there will be a 1:00 PM dismissal for all students. There will be no WRAP services this day. Please also be aware that there is no voting in our schools this year which means that the Hoboken Public School District will be open on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Here are some important days coming up to put on your calendar:

Thursday and Friday, November 5th and 6th, 2026 the Hoboken Public School District will be closed for the NJEA Teachers Convention. There will be no school on these days. School will resume on Monday, November 9th.

Wednesday, November 25th, 2026 there will be a 1:00 PM dismissal. There will be no Wrap services on this day.

Thursday and Friday, November 26th and 27th, 2026 the Hoboken Public School District will be closed for Thanksgiving. There will be no school on these days. School will resume on Monday, November 30th.

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2026 there will be a 1:00 PM dismissal. There will be no Wrap services on this day.

Thursday, December 24th, 2026 through Friday, January 1st, 2027 the Hoboken Public School District will be closed for Winter Break. There will be no school on these days. School will resume on Monday, January 4th.

Friday, January 15th, 2027 there will be a 1:00 PM dismissal. There will be no Wrap services on this day.

Monday, January 18th, 2027 the Hoboken Public School District will be closed for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be no school on this day. School will resume on Tuesday, January 19th.

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Remember, our HOPES and MSELC school day starts at 8:30 and dismissal is at 2:30. These drop off and pickup times do not apply for students in morning or afternoon WRAP programs. If you are going to be late dropping off in the morning or picking up in the afternoon, please make sure to call or email your family advocate. Their information can be found in the directories below.

As a friendly reminder, please remember to call your family advocate and let them know the reason for your child being absent no later than 9:15 am. If you can not call your family advocate, please email kdesanti@hoboken.k12.nj.us. In your email, please state:

• your child's name
• provider
• site
• teacher
• reason for absence
• when we can expect them back in school

Please continue reading below to see updates from each site and more 🙂.

Kind regards,

Kimberly Mara

Director of Early Childhood

While preschool attendance may look a little different from attendance in elementary, middle, or high school, it is just as important. We track attendance and tardiness throughout the year and this information is reported to the state at the end of each school year.

As we continue through the school year, I wanted to share a few important reminders about attendance:

• Being on time matters. When your child is tardy each morning, they may be missing important parts of their school day, including math, literacy, science, social-emotional learning, and opportunities to build social skills. The morning routine is an important part of the preschool day, and missing it can sometimes make it harder for a child to settle in and have a successful day.
• Consistent attendance matters. If your child is absent just two days each month throughout the school year, they can be considered chronically absent. Even what may seem like a small number of missed days can add up quickly and result in your child missing important learning experiences and opportunities to build relationships and routines.
• If your child is sick, please keep them home. We absolutely understand that children get sick, and their health and well-being always come first. If your child is not feeling well, please allow them to rest at home and return when they are ready. If your child is absent for more than three consecutive days, a doctor's note is required.
• Please plan vacations around the school calendar. When making travel plans, please be mindful of the school calendar and your child's attendance. After 10 consecutive absences, a child will be withdrawn from the program. If this occurs, there are additional steps that must be completed through the Office of Early Childhood before your child can be re-registered.
• A doctor's note does not excuse an absence. A doctor's note allows us to document that an absence was due to illness, but it does not change the absence to an "excused" day.
• Half days count as a full school day. A 1:00 p.m. dismissal is considered a full school day for all students in our preschool program. If your child attends only part of the day, it is still recorded as a full-day absence if they are not present for the school day.

Our goal is always to work in partnership with our families to support children in having a successful preschool experience. Consistent attendance and being on time each day help children feel comfortable, connected, and ready to learn.

Improving our overall attendance is something the Office of Early Childhood is committed to working on together with our families this year. Thank you for your partnership and for helping us give our youngest learners the consistency they need to grow and thrive!

Mile Square students at 770 in Room 110 became little scientists as they explored apples using their five senses! Before cutting the apples in half, the children made guesses about what might be inside, and what the inside of the apple would smell like, look like, and feel like. After exploring, they recorded their observations and tallied all of their predictions on a chart. These little scientists practiced making predictions, using descriptive words, comparing their ideas, and discovered all the ways they can use their senses to learn about the world around them!

Mile Square students at Calabro in Room 206 have been talking about the next holiday on the calendar since the last few weeks of September! Now that the class has finally arrived in the spooktacular month of October, it’s time to make pumpkins! Students used their fine motor skills to fill their pumpkins with little squares of orange tissue paper. As they carefully placed each square onto the big pumpkins, students practiced using their pincher fingers to help strengthen those little muscles! They also practiced the letter P and its sound! Students love finding opportunities to practice their letter sounds whenever they can. Learning is so much fun when they can get creative.

HOPES students at Clinton learned different ways of showing respect by doing crafts, having discussions and reading stories. They enjoyed coloring a crown that said “Respect is my Superpower.”

HOPES students at Jubilee read “Do Unto Otters” by Laurie Keller, a story about manners. They learned about cooperation, patience, politeness, and more. After the story, the class participated in a guided drawing activity to create their own otters as a reminder of the lessons they learned!

HOPES students at Rue explored active listening through "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" After listening to the story, the children created their own brown bear faces using paper shapes, googly eyes, glue, and markers. As they worked, they practiced following directions, focusing their attention, identifying facial features, and expressing their creativity. The activity also supported fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, and independence. Through hands-on learning, the little artists connected literacy with art while building important listening and classroom skills!

Mile Square students at St. Francis in room 406 enjoyed discussing the fall season and learning about the changes they observe in nature, including the colorful leaves and cooler weather. After reading the book “Autumn Leaves” by Ken Robbins, the students colored and cut out leaves using beautiful fall colors. This activity encouraged creativity and helped develop their fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and scissor skills as they practiced controlling hand movement and cutting along the leaf shape.

Mile Square students at Wallace in Room 115 enjoyed a fall day all about pumpkins. They completed Story Lab Learning Facts with the book "Fall Pumpkins: Orange and Plump" by Martha E. H. Rustad. The students explored the book to learn facts about pumpkins and the fall season. They practiced active listening, recalling factual information, expanding vocabulary and answering questions about what they learned. Afterwards, they got to go pumpkin picking! The students returned to class and were able to decorate their pumpkins with stickers, practicing their fine motor skills. The children are excited to bring their pumpkins home to show their grown-ups and share what they’ve learned!

October is Lung Health Awareness Month. Every cell in the body needs oxygen to function properly. This is why your lungs are so important! Healthy lungs keep us active without limitations. We often overlook our lungs because we breathe without even thinking until there is a problem. According to the American Lung Association, nearly 37 million Americans live with a chronic lung disease. Your body has a natural defense system designed to protect the lungs, keeping dirt and germs at bay. But there are some important things you can do to reduce your risk of lung disease.

Early Childhood Education has partnered with Hudson Regional Health Commission and the Hoboken Health Department to roll out the Vaccines For Children Program. This program includes all recommended childhood vaccinations free of charge for children who meet the program guidelines.

To receive more information please scan the code to complete the form or CLICK ME to complete the form by November 6th.

If your child is experiencing challenges as they transition into a new school year, our ECE team has created a doc for you.

The last day of our school week always means a new read aloud story!

I don't know about you, but I love getting to use my library card to go and check out some new books. In the town Tyler and I live in, we can walk to our library and it is so much fun! In "The NOT So Quiet Library" by Zachariah Ohora we meet Oskar and Theodore who get to go to the library with their dad on Saturdays! They go every Saturday, but this one did not turn out as planned. Now if you look at the cover of the book, it looks like they have a very unexpected guest during their library visit. Can you think of what it might be? Read the story to find out who interupts Oskar and Theodore's Saturday library visit.

Email: kmara@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Location: 1115 Clinton Street, Hoboken, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-356-3695